pilulous (pilulus)

[ Has any one ever pinched into its pilulous smallne the cobweb of pre-matrimonial acquaintanceship? George Eliot, Middle march, ii. pilum (pi'lum), n.; pl. pila (-lä). [L.: see pile1.] 1. A heavy javelin used by the Roman foot soldiers.-2. Any javelin used by barbarous races with whom the Romans had to do, as by the Franks, Burgundians, and others.-3. In phar., an instrument used to triturate substances in a mortar; a pestle. pilus (pī'lus), n.; pl. pili (-li). [L., a hair, hair: see pile4.] 1. In bot., one of the fine slender bodies, like hair, covering some plants.-2. In zoöl., a hair or hair-like body, especially a hair IMG:content-0196.jpg:[graphic] pilus in any way distinguished from those which collectively cover the body. - Pili go ypii, cotton.Pili tactiles, tactile hairs. See hairl.